Nerves frayed over jail talks

County Commissioner Stan McClain's recent visit to the county jail, with executives from a private prison operator in tow, has certainly struck a nerve.

By Bill ThompsonStaff writer

County Commissioner Stan McClain's recent visit to the county jail, with executives from a private prison operator in tow, has certainly struck a nerve.The County Commission has received numerous emails from Sheriff's Office employees and citizens concerned that the board might consider privatizing the operation of the jail.But the angst and outrage expressed electronically at the idea might also be reinforced verbally on Thursday, when a wave of privatization opponents are expected to flood the commission chamber during the first of two public hearings on the 2014 budget.A protest movement on Facebook indicates that nearly 170 people intend to pack the session to express their discontent.Commission Chairwoman Kathy Bryant suggested that the complaints are premature."The board has not had a discussion on privatization of the jail," she said. "Before anything can happen, the board would have to have a discussion."If those talks indicated the board wanted to pursue privatization, the issue would only then be starting, Bryant added."There would be months and months of due diligence before a decision could be made. That's not just something you do overnight," said Bryant."I understand their concerns," she added of the critics. "But right now, we haven't had a discussion about this."McClain visited the facility last week with senior county staffers and a pair of representatives from the Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA, the nation's leading operator of privatized prisons and jails.The company manages more than 80,000 inmates in more than 60 corrections facilities nationwide, including three state prisons and two county jails in Florida. Among them is the jail in neighboring Citrus County.Sheriff Chris Blair and his senior staff said they felt ambushed by the inclusion of the CCA representatives, which touched off a "panic" among the staff, as Maj. Terry Bovaird, head of the Sheriff's Office's Corrections Division, told the Star-Banner last week.Since then, employees of the county jail and their supporters have not minced words in expressing to the County Commission their disdain.Sheriff's Cpl. David Whaley, a corrections officer, wrote in an email to the commission, "I do not believe it would be in the best interest of the citizens of Marion County to pay a private corporation to oversee the jail. It would not only cost a number of the corrections staff their jobs, but it would, in the long run, cost the citizens of Marion County."In addition," he wrote, "those employees of the Sheriff's Office who work for the Jail would, if they are allowed to remain employed by the jail, lose their FRS (Florida Retirement System) retirement. This would likely result in a number of the employees leaving Marion County to find employment elsewhere."Another jail employee, Cpl. Bryan Nix, added, "This community will not only lose great corrections officers but also baseball, T-ball, soccer, and football coaches, youth pastors, Sunday school teachers, deacons, foster parents, and mentors. Please consider the ripple effect this decision WILL have on our community."The idea that the County Commission might look for a contractor to run the jail should not have come as a big surprise, as Blair and the County Commission continue to argue over his request for an $8 million boost in spending.Bryant told the Star-Banner in June that the commission, which has authority over the county jail, might bring the facility back under its control in an effort to cuts costs.That came after Blair initial budget proposed a $17 million spike in spending for next fiscal year.County officials said they have not had any responses in favor of privatization of the jail, although Blair's push for more revenue has inspired more general comments urging the County Commission to hold the line on taxes.McClain, who is leading a staff task force that is reviewing the sheriff's proposed budget, formed after Blair challenged the commission to find spending cuts, said he, too, understands the concerns.He added that it was not his intent to start a ruckus among the Sheriff's Office's employees by touring the jail with the CCA executives.But, he said, giving privatization a look was part of his mission."In my role, in what I've been tasked by my board to do, it was necessary to make sure we looked at every possible thing, so that I can report back that we left no stone unturned," McClain said.Contact Bill Thompson at 867-4117 or at bill.thompson@ocala.com